For the Sake of Love
by Daine
Summary: Ken and Yolei are finally happy...so what is this new darkness? Requested sequel to Shape of my Heart.
1. Cherished

A/N: I can't believe that there are still people who want me to continue this story. I just hope I'm not beating a dead horse. (I'm not, am I?) But anyway, this is the third part of what is now a trilogy. The first part was "Heart of an Emperor", the second "Shape of My Heart." Probably should read those first, but its not absolutely necessary. Thank you Sephiroth no Miko for the title! ^_^ Oh yes! Forget all the episodes when Ken gets his crest and hears weird voices and stuff. They never happened, kay?

Disclaimer: Didn't own 'em then, still don't own 'em now.

For the Sake of Love Part One: Cherished

"OW!" Yolei yelled as she landed in the computer room. Kari had fallen over her, followed by T.K. and Davis. "Why can't we find a way back to the real world that doesn't involve pain?" she complained as they picked themselves up.

"Aw, it isn't that bad!" said Davis.

"Easy for you to say, you were on the top!"

Cody spoke up. "She does have a point there, Davis."

Yolei eyed him suspiciously. "How'd you manage to land without crashing into anybody?"

He grinned. "Practice."

"No way!" she cried. "You've found a way to land right and you haven't told us, is that it?"

"No, I…" Cody began, when he realized Yolei was kidding. The teasing kept on until they were nearly out of the building. 

"By the way, we got an E-mail from a person named Gennai," Cody said. "Izzy told me that Gennai gave them information from time to time when they were in the Digital world. He gave us this weird little poem:

The five Chosen have toiled long and well

The true test is still yet to come.

Love will bring Kindness out of the Dark,

But the Darkness will not give him up so easily –

Light must help Kindness see the truth,

And the cycle of Darkness will at long last end."

Kari and T.K. groaned. "Not another prophecy," said T.K. 

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Kari asked.

"I only got the E-mail yesterday," said Cody. Then he smiled one of his rare half-smiles. "Plus, I forgot until now." 

"What's the deal with this prophecy thing?" Davis asked. 

"Last time we were in the Digital world, Gennai gave us prophecies about what was going to happen to us in the future," Kari explained. "They were supposed to help us or at least give us a warning, but instead they were just annoying."

"Why was that?" Cody asked.

T.K. answered. "Because they never say anything straight out, Gennai never explained, and half the time he didn't tell us until it was almost too late!" he laughed.

"What do you think it means?" asked Davis.

Yolei felt exasperation flooding through her. She didn't care what the prophecy meant; she had somewhere to be! Her mind flicked frantically through ways out of the situation.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" she exclaimed. "I have to see if Mr. Fugiyama is still here!" Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Don't wait for me, guys, I need to talk to him about the computer club!" She whisked off down the hall. As soon as she was out of sight, she ran to a window. Her friends were looking after her confusedly. She bit her lip as Cody turned back. But he changed his mind and she breathed a sigh of relief as her friends left the school for good. Yolei ran to the computer room, and the next moment she was sucked into the Digital world.

Yolei glanced around to get her bearings, removing her helmet as she did so. She was getting a little sick of wearing it all the time, but it was what the Digital world gave her, so what could she do?

Two strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "Don't move," a low, threatening voice growled in her ear.

She grinned. "I wasn't planning on it," she replied. "Hi, Ken." She turned around to see Ken Ichijouji, minus sunglasses and cape. She took a moment to just enjoy looking at him. _Gosh, he's gorgeous, _she thought to herself. Without the glasses she could see his dazzling violet eyes sparkling with a warmth that only she ever saw. She loved knowing she was the only one to have the good fortune of seeing Ken like this. 

Ken pulled her up into a kiss. "I missed you," he whispered.

"Missed me? You see me every day!" she laughed, only half-joking. 

"I know, but…"

She did know, all too well. Most days Ken saw her, it was only on opposite sides of a battlefield. She could only pull the "I–must–go–see–a–teacher" trick so many times before her friends would get suspicious. As a result, her visits with Ken were far less frequent than they both wanted them to be. 

__

All the more reason to enjoy this while it lasts, she thought. The afternoon melted away as she and Ken walked hand-in-hand through the Digital world, stopping often to view a giant waterfall or the top of a cliff, or simply sitting and talking. They talked about everything under the sun, from world peace to school dress codes to whether a Whopper or a Big Mac tasted better. Their laughter echoed off the trees, and for a few short hours there was no battle, no Digimon Emperor, and no Chosen Child. It was just two teenagers in love having fun. Like anyone else in the world. 

Yolei nestled in Ken's arms as he leaned against a tree, It was getting late and both of them knew she needed to be getting back, but neither of them wanted to be the first to say so. She sighed.

Ken heard her sigh and held her a bit tighter. She smiled at him and he felt his mind turn to mush. _Amazing, _he thought. _Simply amazing. _That anyone could have such control over him was a constant source of amazement. And he didn't resent that control, not one tiny bit. If only they didn't have to hide this way. If only there was some way she could visit him more often…

Ken suddenly sat straight up. "Ken?" Yolei questioned.

His eyes were wide as he worked through the thought he just had. "Of course!"

"Of course what?" Yolei said, irritated now. 

"Yolei – you have a computer in your room, correct?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ken, think about it."

"All right, I know the answer to that one." He thought a moment. "Why didn't I think of it before?" 

"Ken, think of _what _before?" Yolei demanded.

Ken stood up and whistled. The next second Airdramon landed next to him. He pulled Yolei up, and the next minute they were landing at his base. He went straight into the control room and started typing. "There!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Yolei asked. Ken felt a smug look come over his face. 

"I've opened a Digiport to your computer." He smiled at the stunned expression on her face. "Now you can see me anytime."

Yolei stood openmouthed. "Ken…" she began. He grinned with a little of his old arrogance. 

"Brilliant, isn't it?"

She closed her mouth abruptly. "Why didn't you think of this before?!?" she yelled, glaring at him. He took a step back.

"I didn't think of it until now," he replied, wary of the look on her face. She stood for a moment, thinking. Then…

Ken had only enough time to make a startled noise as the purple-haired girl threw herself at him, and as their lips met he didn't need to think of anything at all. 

* * *

A lone figure stood on a …what was it standing on? There was nothing around but mist and darkness, but the darkness seemed almost tangible – and it glowed, if it was possible for darkness to ever glow. 

The dark shape smiled, an expression that had the power to send grown men running in terror. His quarry had no idea how close he was to going under. Evil danced in the darkness' eyes, as he watched his prey bask in the feelings he was receiving – and giving.

__

It won't be long now, the form thought.

All right! The rest is coming! And be happy for them now, because things are about to turn very ugly…please review!


	2. Exposure

A/N: Nothing, really. Just read the first part…well, first! Make sense? ^_^ Please review!

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, I wouldn't need to be writing about them because this stuff would have already happened!

For the Sake of Love Part Two: Exposure

Once again Ken stood in front of the Digidestined. He hid a smile as he looked down at Yolei. She glanced up and winked at him. A grin twitched at the corners of his mouth, but he kept control of his expression. 

"Oh, great. You again," said Kari.

"And we were having such a nice day," added T.K.

__

There they go again, thought Ken. _Always speaking as a double act. Really, those two are so clueless. _Yolei had filled him in on the saga of T.K. and Kari and how she despaired of them ever coming to their senses and getting together. Normally he would have no interest in something like that, but if Yolei was talking, well...but ever since then, he had begun to take notice of little things, like how they always echoed one another while talking. It was almost...sweet.

"Oh, am I spoiling your lovely picnic? What a shame. Too bad I can't wait until you're done eating to destroy you. Being the Emperor of the Digital world leaves me no time to wait around." Ken sighed dramatically. "Shame, really, no rest, just work work work all the time!

"You're despicable," snapped Cody. "How can you talk about enslaving creatures so casually?"

Ken smiled again. Only he and Yolei knew this, but he hadn't enslaved any new Digimon since the night of the dance. In fact, he had even released some, making sure to keep just enough to have an army that could handle the Digidestined. Yolei wanted him to release them all, but she understood it was necessary to keep some in order not to arouse suspicion.

"Oh, it's easier then you might think," he said, letting his eyes twinkle at Yolei. She was trying hard not to laugh. "But enough of this idle chit-chat. I came here to battle, not to talk. DarkTyrranamon, attack!"

As he expected, the Digidestined made their typical comments about not letting him get away with this, yadda yadda yadda. You'd think they could come with something more original, but no, it was always, "Veemon, are you ready for action?" and "Let's get him, Patamon!" and "We'll teach you some respect, Ken!" He sat back as the four Digimon Armor Digivolved and counter-attacked his DarkTyrranamon.

This was the part of the battle that always made him a little sad. He would watch as Yolei and her friends fought against him -and for what? The entire battle was pointless. He was basically required to put in an appearance every time the kids were in the Digital world, but for him the entire purpose was to see Yolei. And now she was required to fight against him, just as he had to attack them. It all seemed so futile.

Actually, Yolei had tried to talk him into giving up the Digital world for good. Ken supposed the idea made sense, but…he couldn't bring himself to leave his safe haven. Here no one expected him to be perfect; here he was safe from prying eyes and camera lenses. He had tried to explain that to Yolei, but he couldn't. For one thing, that wasn't the only reason. The other reason he couldn't explain, even to himself. It was just a voice, no – a feeling, that was soft but so demanding he couldn't even think of disobeying it. The perception that he could not leave his realm was too strong.

He got a little pleasure from watching as his Digimon's attack completely missed Halsemon. He had specially commanded his army to purposely miss while attacking the Digimon of Love. Yolei had complained about it, saying it was bad for security, but Ken would not bend on this -Yolei always rode on Halsemon's back, and he didn't want to chance her getting hurt.

Ken fell into his usual habit during battle: watching Yolei. He was very glad of his dark sunglasses, because it meant he could watch her undetected. Somehow though, Yolei always seemed to know when his eyes were on her - she looked back at him just then and smiled, making his heart jump. _After all this time she still has this effect on me_, he thought with amusement.

He had sunk into a sort of a daze when a beeping noise startled him. He glanced down at the readout on his D-3 - and jumped up in panic. Horrified, he stared out at the battle as his eyes confirmed the grim report.

DarkTyrannamon was out of control. Somehow Ken's control over him had slipped, and the Digimon was now banging into the cliffs and roaring loudly. He shot a breath of fire straight at Yolei and Halsemon. Terror shot through Ken as Yolei screamed. Then Halsemon soared out of the smoke, revealing Yolei unharmed. She had just screamed when Halsemon did a barrel roll to avoid the blast.

He stood up, grimly determined. That was it. He didn't care what everyone else thought of his actions; there was no way he was going to put Yolei in danger. "DarkTyrranamon! Cease attack!" He paid no attention to the shocked looks and gasps he was getting from the other Digidestined. "DarkTyrranamon! Return to the castle!"

The huge Digimon lurched over to where Ken was standing. Ken glared up at it, focusing all his willpower in controlling the thing. Dimly he heard the shouts of the others. They distracted him for just a moment. He immediately tried to regain control, but the damage was done. DarkTyrranamon wavered, then turned with a deadly roar back to the battle. 

"No!" Ken cried.

Yolei looked at him fearfully. "Ken, what's wrong?"

The dread in his heart increased a thousand fold. He hesitated, not wanting to scare his love. But he knew she would rather know the truth. "It's DarkTyrranamon! He's no longer under my control!"

"You're kidding!" yelled T.K.

Ken glared at him. "Now would not be the time to joke, you imbecile!"

"Don't call him that!" screamed Kari.

Ken was about to bite back a reply, but DarkTyrranamon was there! He felt terror wash over him like never before as the huge beast moved in for the kill. 

DarkTyrranamon lunged at Ken. He narrowly escaped the blow by throwing himself sideways. His veins sang with adrenaline as he looked up for the next attack. It didn't come. As he breathed a sigh of relief that the Digimon had moved on, he heard a scream that made his blood run cold.

Yolei.

He stared around frantically, trying to find her. There! Yolei was backed against the cliff wall, frozen with fear, as DarkTyrranamon closed in on her. Hawkmon, who had de-Digivolved a little earlier, was trying his best to attack but he was so weak that his feeble attempts did no more than anger the huge Digimon. "Yolei!" he screamed.

"Ken!" she screamed back. The terror in her voice galvanized him into action. He pounded forward, ignoring the shouts of surprise from the other Digidestined. He increased his speed. He wasn't going to make it...he was going to be too late...

Seconds before DarkTyrranamon lifted his claws to attack, Ken reached Yolei and blocked her with his body. The force of the blow sent him sprawling against the cliff wall. 

*Cue Digivolving sequence*

"Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to...Halsemon!

Halsemon...the wings of Love!"

Ken faintly heard a roar of "Tempest Wing!" He managed a grim smile to himself as his vision went cloudy. _That's my girl_, he thought, and the world went dark.

Next part coming soon, if you want it!


	3. Prophecy

A/N: Nothing, just read the darn thing! And remember that the episodes when Ken becomes good do not exist in this timeline!

Disclaimer: Sorry. Digimon's not mine. I wish though…

For the Sake of Love Part Three: Prophecy

Ken slowly opened his eyes – and blinked as brown eyes amazingly close to his face came into focus. He grimaced slightly as the face belonging to the eyes swam into view, glaring angrily at him – Davis, leader of the Digidestined. "What the heck were you _doing_ back there?!?" he yelled. Ken winced; the bellowing was _not_ helping his pounding headache. Then his violet eyes widened in fear. He struggled to his feet and looked around. Dark Tyrannamon was gone, vanquished by Halsemon's final attack. But where was – 

"Yolei?" he called. Uncontrolled terror raced through his veins. What if she had…?

"Yeah, and what _about_ Yolei?" Davis demanded. "What did you think you were _doing_ with her?" The next second he was nearly knocked off his feet as a purple blur raced past him. 

"Ken!" The other Digidestined stared as Yolei ran to him and threw herself into his arms, sobbing. If it had been any other time, Ken would have laughed at the dumbfounded expressions on their faces. But as for now…

"I was so scared…I thought…I thought…" Yolei choked out before dissolving into helpless tears too fierce for her to speak.

Ken was partially shocked. He had never comforted anyone before, and certainly he had not allowed anyone to do so to him. Still, he wrapped his arms around her, crooning softly.

"Shhh…don't cry…it's all right," he murmured. He tilted her tearstained face up to him. "I'm okay," he whispered, before kissing her with all of his strength. Yolei kissed back almost desperately, as if afraid he would disappear if she let him go. 

The Digidestined looked on, their emotions ranging from shock (Kari) to disbelief (T.K. and Cody) to anger (Davis). "Hey, what's the big idea…" Davis began. He stopped abruptly. Yolei had started to glow. A pink light was emanating from her Digivice, and (it seemed) from her very skin. It covered her and Ken with its brilliance. Kari gasped, as a similar but all-too-different light burst forth from Ken's Digivice. This light was black. It quickly engulfed Ken's entire body, choking out the pink light, and suddenly their kiss seemed harsh, more violent. T.K. and Davis automatically stepped forward, ready for trouble.

But there…the pink light was not gone. It was still there, pulsing beneath the black, and it was growing stronger. Then the rosy light reached the black Digivice…

There was a flash. The Digidestined stepped back, momentarily blinded (except for Ken and Yolei, who were still kissing.) When they could see again, they saw golden – not black – light pour out from Ken's now saffron Digivice. It drove away the black, beating it down until it disappeared. A final black cloud expelled itself from Ken's body, dissipating into the night. Ken and Yolei finally broke their kiss, both of them looking slightly dazed. They stared at each other.

Ken had never experienced anything like that before. Pain had screamed through his body, like his very veins were on fire. He had no idea what was happening to him, but holding Yolei closer seemed to make the pain lessen. He could hear screaming, and a feeling of darkness so inherent it turned his body to ice. The pain was excruciating...then it started to disappear, as a feeling like cool rain washed over him. He was completely stunned when he let Yolei go. _I had no idea any kiss could be like that_, he thought dazedly. 

Ken looked over at the remaining Digidestined. They were in absolute shock. He held Yolei close to him defensively. _This is not how I wanted this to happen, _he thought. _But it did, and I'll be damned if I let them take her from me now. _He was reassured by a loving glance from Yolei, and turned to stare coolly at the other children.

Surprisingly it was Cody who spoke first. "Yolei…" he stopped, then tried again. "How long?" he asked simply.

Ken felt Yolei tense. "A long time," she replied. "Months, now…"

Kari was looking at them with the oddest expression on her face. Try as he might, Ken could not read the emotion. She hesitated. It was very difficult to express what she was thinking in words, so the question came out much more bluntly then she intended. "Why?" Astonishment – and slight betrayal – was evident in her voice.

Ken answered that one. "After what you have just seen, I should think it fairly obvious," he said softly, struggling to keep the annoyance he was feeling out of his tone.

Davis looked like the whole world had turned over. "But he's our _enemy_!" Ken couldn't hide his irritated sigh, any more than he could help the rolling of his eyes.

T.K. looked at them both. "I'm afraid I'm agreeing with Davis on this one," he said. He looked utterly confused. Apparently the idea of a comrade in love with the enemy was too much for the two boys to handle. 

Ken clenched his fist (on the arm that was not wrapped around Yolei). There was only one thing he could do now. _You can't! _an inner voice screamed _.This is all you have, you can't do this!_ He shoved that voice away. _It's the only way now. _"Think what you like," he said. "But I'm willing to…" he took a deep breath. "I'm willing to try and start over, no matter what you decide about me." The joyous look Yolei gave him helped dispel the pang of loss he felt at having to give up the Digital world. Maybe it was their imagination, but a faint glow seemed to surround Ken as he said that…

Then, a – was that a – it was! A Digiegg! The Chosen Children gaped in awe as a brilliant golden egg floated down out of nowhere, to come to rest right in between Ken and Yolei. As if in a trance, Ken reached up and took it…

*Cue Digivolving sequence*

"Wormmon Digivolve to…Stingmon!"

"Stingmon…the paragon of Kindness!"

"_Kind_ness?" gasped Davis. "What _is_ this?"

"That Digiegg has the Crest of Kindness on it!" yelled T.K incredulously. "And it came to Ken?"

"The prophecy!" Kari exclaimed. _"Love will bring Kindness out of the Dark..._this must be it!"

Ken and Yolei held on to each other as they stared at the brand-new Digimon. Stingmon stood over them, in all his insectoid glory. "Worm…Wormmon?" stammered Ken. In all honesty, he had forgotten Wormmon was even there when DarkTyrranamon lost control. He reached out a hand to his Digimon, but before he could touch him, a laugh rang out of the trees.

"Look!" yelled Cody. Everyone spun around to see a black figure walk out of the woods. As he came closer, they could see- 

"Ken?" Yolei cried. "But…" she turned to look at the real Ken, still standing at her side. "Then who...?"

Ken was struck dumb at this likeness of himself. The two were an exact match, right down to every spike of hair. He stared as the boy (man? creature? Digimon?) came closer.

Cody suddenly had a terrifying thought. He thought back to when the black cloud had escaped Ken's body. _When all that evil left Ken, where did it go?_ With a chill he remembered the prophecy: _"But the Darkness will not let him go so easily…"_

"Run!" he yelled, as the Emperor-likeness raised an arm to attack.

Ooohh…I'm evil…please review! 

Standard disclaimer applies.


	4. Cycle of Darkness

A/N: This is the end! Really, it is! Everything is solved, one way or anotheroh yes. It has been brought to my attention that Stingmon is not an Armor Digimon; he is a Champion. ::coughs embarrassedly:: Well, what can I say? I honestly didn't think anyone would notice! See, I wanted to have Ken find a Digiegg, and I wanted to include Stingmon. So by exercising my supreme author powers and a selective memory, I made Stingmon an Armor Digimon. Simply put: This is my world, and I will distort it as I please. Sorry to everyone who noticed, but I'm going to keep it this way for continuity. And I've rambled far too long. On with the fic!

Disclaimer: Don't own em, but you already knew that, right?

For the Sake of Love Part Four: Cycle of Darkness

* * * _And be careful when exorcising demons, that when you cast one out three more do not enter into its place. _* * *

A beam of dark energy screamed across the sky towards the Digidestined. The children threw themselves flat and it missed their heads by just inches. Ken was on his feet in an instant, ready for another attack. He glared triumphantly at his look-alike. _Round one, Digidestined, _he thought. 

Then to his enormous surprise, the dark figure started to laugh. Before Ken could recover, he shot off beam after beam at the new bearer of Kindness. Ken managed to dodge them all, though the last one grazed his cloak. He looked up victorious at the newcomer, only to see a feral grin spread across his features.

_Fools, _the dark Ken thought. _They have no idea they have played right into my hands. They think that they have won because they cast me out of Ken's body. They haven't won at all. He is vulnerable now. With me gone he feels nothing but emptiness. Anything can fill that emptiness now. Anything_

"Good," his double laughed. "My slaves should be agile. That is how many of them survive as long as they do." 

As Ken gaped, Yolei came up next to him. "What do you mean, your slave?" she yelled. "Ken isn't _anyone's_ slave!"

"Yeah, because he was too busy _doing_ all the enslaving," muttered Davis.

The dark figure smiled. "Oh, you think not? Then perhaps you do not know your precious Ken as well as you think you do, Yolei." As Yolei sputtered, he continued, this time directing his speech towards Ken. "Digimon Emperor. You have done well."

Ken gaped at him. He knew that voice. It was the one he heard in the middle of the night that came to him in his dreams. It was the voice he associated with the place inside him that was now an empty void. 

The dark Ken smiled inwardly. He cocked an eyebrow at Ken. "Do you fear me?"

"No," Ken replied. 

The creature snickered. "Of course you do. You know who I am, and you fear me for it. But what is there to really be afraid of, Ken? Do you really fear yourself?"

"I'm not you!" Ken cried. 

"Oh no? _I am the Digimon Emperor," _he mocked. "_I will control all of the Digital world!_ Does that sound at all familiar, Ken?"

"But Ibut I" he stammered. The voice _was_ his. He could remember those exact words, coming from his lips. _But that was before_

"He's not like that anymore!" Yolei said defensively. "He got rid of you!"

"Oh, he didn't get rid of me. I'm still very much here. Why would he want to get rid of me? I'm a part of him! So deeply ingrained that I might as well be burned into his soul. I am him, and he is me!"

"He is not!"

Ken just stared. He looked back and forth from Yolei to his double. He was suddenly painfully aware of the deep aching void inside of him. _He's right, _Ken realized. _He is a part of meand now that he's gone, there's nothing left of me anymore_

"Realizing the truth, Ken? You can feel the emptiness inside you, can't you? The feeling that an irreplaceable part of you has been torn out by the roots?" The darkness smiled inwardly at the painful realization on the boy's face. _Perfect, _he thought. 

It was time to switch tactics. "What have I ever given you but an escape from pain? Do you remember when your – _our _– brother died?" As he spoke, he projected the memory into Ken's mind. As closely linked as they were, he could easily control the Emperor's thoughts and memories on so little as a whim. 

Ken gasped as memories flooded into his mind. The screamsand the crashfollowed by the wailing of sirens and of a little boy who has just lost everything

"You became me," whispered the darkness. "You became me to rid yourself of the painwhat sort of fool are you, to give that up now?"

"Don't call him that!" yelled Yolei.

He glared at her. "You," he said, "are getting increasingly annoying." Before anyone could react, a black beam raced through the air and hit her square in the chest, knocking her backwards against the cliff where she slumped lifelessly to the ground. 

"Yolei!" Ken cried out, and ran towards her. An energy shield thrown up in his path stopped him. Seething with rage, he turned to his dark twin. "How dare you hurt her?!?" he screamed. 

"I dare much more than that, Digimon Emperor," came the cool reply. In a matter of seconds he had laid flat all of the remaining children and their Digimon. "Look at me," he commanded. Ken's eyes were caught in an unshakable hold by that terrible voice. "Why do you care what happens to her?"

"Because!" he yelled. "I"

Dark Ken sneered. "Why? Because you _love _her?" He smirked, and held up three fingers. "Three weeks. That's how long an average relationship lasts at our age. And each one filled with more I love you's' then you could shake a stick at." 

Ken reeled back like he had been hit. "That's not true," he said. But his voice lacked the conviction it had held at the beginning. 

"Oh, I think it is, Ken. How long until your little girlfriend gets sick of you? How long until she decides to move onto some better fish in the sea?"

Ken's thoughts and emotions whirled. Nothing was making sense. The demon sounded so right, so sure of himself. And wasn't that what he himself had believed until just a few short months ago?

Kari stirred slightly. Unlike the others, she had only been stunned when the blast hit her, for T.K. had managed to take most of the blow for her. She rose slightly and looked around. She was shocked to see Ken in a face-off with his double. Ken looked unsure, worried, and the evil one looked triumphant and very smug. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was very, very bad. She caught the last part of what he was saying, something about Yolei

_Oh no! _she thought. _He's going to use Yolei against him to make Ken turn evil again! _Panicked, she nearly got up and ran for the Digimon Emperor, but she stopped herself just in time. _Better that he doesn't know I'm awake and capable of helping Ken._

The dark figure was speaking again. "Do you remember, Ken? What it was like to be hounded every moment of every day by reporters, fans; always being pressured to be better and better?" He laughed, and Kari gasped at the anger and pain of memory that flashed across Ken's face. "Of course you remember. I can see your hate. I can feel your desperation to just get away to somewhere where you could control your life, not reporters and your parents."

Kari was in absolute shock. She had never stopped to think what effect fame could have on someone. Especially a kid who was just like her. _That doesn't matter now. I have to get Ken to see that thewhatever that thing is is wrong! It's in the prophecy'Light will help Kindness see the truthI have to help him!_ The problem was that she had no idea how to do that.

While Kari agonized over her position, the dark Ken delivered the final blow. "And your parents. They never really loved you. Even as a little kid you knew that. They loved Sam and only Sam, and even after he died all they cared about was turning you into a miniature of him. They never loved Ken." He sneered. "They only cared about _him._"

That was it. Ken's face twisted into an ugly mask of rage and hate. He knew what the person told him was true. How could he have been so foolish to believe Yolei? How could he have been so trusting to believe that he could go back to a normal life? He never had a normal life! And no one cared if he did or not.

Kari could see the acceptance on his face. A rush of pain hit her then, nearly blinding her. _No! _she screamed inside herself. This couldn't happen! The prophecy said she was supposed to save Kenand here she was not doing anythingthey were all going to die here because of her helplessness! She looked at T.K., still sprawled unconscious on the ground. _He took the blast for me, _she remembered. 

The Bearer of Light was suddenly filled with an intense anger. Without pausing to think she stormed up to the Emperor. "I'm sorry," she said, "but this is the only thing I can think of!" She slapped him full across the face.

Ken recoiled in shock. A hand flew to his cheek. "Whawhat was the meaning of that!" he exclaimed. 

"Because you're being so frustrating!" Kari all but screamed. "Can't you see he's lying to you? I don't know what your problem is, but if you stopped and thought about what he was saying instead of just reacting, you would see how obviously he's manipulating you!"

He stared at her in utter disbelief. Kari was too angry to care. "How could you possibly believe what he said about your parents? I've seen them, Ken. Nearly everyday there's a story on the news about them, and your mom can't _speak_ because she's crying too hard. I saw your dad at a grocery store, and he looked _dead_. Like someone who has lost everything he lived for and all hope is gone." 

Ken was in shock. His mind reeled with conflicting ideas and emotions. On one level, he agreed with Kari and was saddened at the thought of his parents suffering. On another, he seethed with rage at the thought that they only loved him as a prop to make _them_ look good. He gripped his head in confusion. 

Kari could see Ken weakening. _I'm getting through to him, _she rejoiced silently. She gave a sideways glance at the still forms of her friends and blinked away tears. _For you, Yolei, _she thought, _I'll save him. Not for destiny or any stupid prophecy. I'll do it because you loved him, believed in him. I'll save him, so everyone's sacrifices will not have been in vain. _

A pretty speech. But Kari's momentary distraction was all the evil one needed. He closed in on Ken, eyes blazing. "Are you going to believe her? Your enemy? How can she know about your parents? She doesn't know anything about you. She doesn't know anything! Who are you going to trust: she, who is your enemy, or me, when I am as much a part of you as your own breath?"

Kari gasped. She saw Ken's features darken, and he half-turned towards the dark figure. _No! Nononononononononono_but the darkness wasn't finished yet. "She may have been right about your parents. After all, they did give birth to you, so they probably have _some_ sentimental attraction to you. But that isn't the real issue here. After all, what was it that made you decide to try and shut me out of your life for good? Not your parents. Yolei." He smiled fiercely. "I am rather disappointed in you, Ken. I thought that under my guidance for so long, you would see what a foolish thing it would be to trust in "love". His voice dripped sarcasm. "Let me show you."

Ken's eyes widened as a flood of visions rushed through his mind. Yolei, kissing another boy who he vaguely recognized from the night of the dance. Yolei, laughing and holding hands with him as she strolled through the park. The darkness' cruel voice went on. "Guess what, Ken? That was from just last week. Last Monday. Do you still believe she loves you?" 

"That's not true!" Kari yelled. She didn't question how she knew what Ken was seeing; she just _knew_, and she had to convince Ken what he was seeing was just created by the dark figure. _Aren't prophecies wonderful things? I'm supposed to help Ken, so suddenly I have the ability to read his mind. Oh joy. _

"Ken, listen to me," she pleaded. "There's no way Yolei would do something like that to you. I know it!" 

"Just like a girl," insinuated the form. "Trying to protect her friend's reputation." Ken glared at Kari. 

"Ken, I was with her last Monday. She was so excited about her computer club meeting that she almost missed going into the Digital world. There's no way she would have had time to go to the park." She turned to the figure. "How do you explain that?"

"Ah, Monday? I meant Tuesday," he covered quickly. 

"Tuesday's out too," she said triumphantly. "Yolei and I went shopping all day."

He lost his smug look. "Well" he glanced at Ken who was listening to Kari now, and glared. "Damn you," he hissed. 

"Ken, look," Kari said. She gestured to Yolei's prone form. "She sacrificed herself for you. Remember when we found out about you two? She stood up for you even though none of us believed you were changed. Then when that thing came along, she tried to protect you. Do you think she would do that for someone she didn't love?"

"Don't listen to her!" cried dark Ken. He turned desperately to Ken. "She's trying to trick you," he said. "She's only lying to save herself!" Ken looked at him for a moment, then glared and turned back to Kari. He blinked. Was it his imagination, or was she glowing?

"I'm telling the truth, Ken," she said softly. "Remember that Yolei has the Digieggs of Love and Sincerity. She wouldn't ever deceive you like that. And," she said, biting her lip. "I should have believed her. Even if she is flaky sometimes, she knows things about people. I thinkI think she was right to forgive you. AndI forgive you." Those last three words were the hardest things Kari had ever had to say in her entire life. But it was necessary

Ken looked right at her. It was a scary feeling. When he turned his violet eyes on her it seemed like he could stare straight into her soul, uncovering her deepest secrets. She tried not to squirm and held her breath.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay," he whispered. "I believe you."

"No!" the demon Ken cried. Ken turned on him. "I believe her," he said in a stronger voice. "And you can just get out."

The demon screamed horribly, a long hair-raising screech that chilled them down to the bone. It lost any resemblance to Ken at all, and became nothing but a wraithlike shadow. Then before their eyes it started to disintegrate. Its mouth was the last thing to go; screaming until it fully disappeared. A blinding light flared out to touch each of the children in turn before vanishing.

The silence that followed was deafening. Ken and Kari stared at the empty air where the Ken-creature had just stood. Out of the corner of her eye, Kari noticed something. "T.K.!" she yelled. The Digidestined were starting to stir. She ran to him as he struggled to sit up and threw her arms around him. Ken took off in a dead run towards Yolei.

_Please let her be okay, _he thought. _Please oh please oh please_He reached her and pressed his fingers against her wrist, searching for a pulse. For a terrifying moment, there was nothing. Then, a faint pressureand Yolei opened her eyes. 

"Hey," she said.

Ken simply looked at her. He felt too drained, emotionally and physically, to dredge up much of a response. "Hey," he said. "You all right?"

She nodded. "You?"

He responded in kind. They stared at each other a moment longer. Then Yolei noticed something. "Ken, your uniform." Ken looked down for the first time. His Digimon Emperor outfit was gone, replaced by his simple school uniform.

Somehow that triggered more feelings then anything else, and he felt his emotional barriers come crashing down. Apparently Yolei saw it coming, for she wrapped her arms around him and just let him sob.

* * * Epilogue * * *

Yolei walked up the steps to an apartment building. She didn't think, just let her feet take her along the familiar path. She stopped and knocked at a door.

Ken Ichijouji opened it. "Hello – " she began, before she was cut off by his lips on hers. As they broke the kiss she smiled. "Well, I guess I don't have to ask how your day went." As they walked in she noticed his tired smile and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. 

"Uh uh," she said. "You know I hate it when you don't answer my questions." She began tickling him mercilessly. He laughed and squirmed, trying to get away. "Will you answer me?" she demanded laughingly.

"Yes, yes!" he gasped. And she stopped tickling him. When he had his wind back he said, "I'm just having a hard time readjusting. It's so weird to wake up in the morning and have to go eat school and cafeteria food for lunch. Everyone's been making a huge fuss over me since I've been back, and I wish they wouldn't." Yolei nodded. Ever since Ken's return two weeks ago (in the middle of the night, in his own bed even though the apartment door was locked) there had been quite a stir in the media. Even Yolei was feeling some of the pressure, because somehow the reporters had found out that Ken had a girlfriend – her. 

She shrugged. "Well, what can you do? The return of a gorgeous boy genius is a very newsworthy item!" He started to protest when he realized she was kidding. 

"Yeah, well," he said "I wish they would stop asking me questions about you." He mimicked the reporters. " Ken, how did you meet your current main attraction?' Tell us about the love of your life.' Ken, how long do you think you'll be together?' "

"They don't really ask that, do they?" Yolei said, amazed. 

"You bet they do," he replied. "And that certainly isn't the worst of it. I'm too embarrassed to repeat some of their questions."

Yolei blushed as she thought about that. "Well, they'll just have to be in suspense then, won't they?" 

"That they will," he said. He kissed her then, and thoughts of reporters flew right out the window.

Yolei snuggled happily in Ken's arms. It didn't matter what anyone else thought, much less brainless reporters. All that mattered was that she and Ken could finally face the world – together. 

And that, my friends, really is the end! Please review.


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